Lindblad and Iwasa are present with Red Bull and Racing Bulls in FP1 in Abu Dhabi

This final Grand Prix of the season F1 will obviously be marked by a thrilling title race, pitting three very different drivers against each other. That said, the announcements were expected, and confirm that Friday will also be an opportunity to see several rookies in action in the single-seaters. Red Bull, Yuki tsunoda will be replaced by the one who will take his place in the F1 fold, namely Arvid Lindblad.

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The Briton, announced as Liam Lawson's future teammate at Racing Bulls from 2026, is naturally rewarded with a jump into the RB21 to hone his skills, but above all to showcase his talent before the end of the current season. Currently sixth in F2Arvid Lindblad didn't have the season he hoped for in the category, but he seems to possess the inherent talent to make the leap. In the meantime, he will be right there alongside... Max Verstappen for the first session of the weekend.

For his part, Ayumu Iwasa will take to the track in the car usually reserved for Liam Lawson. A reserve driver accustomed to taking the wheel on a few occasions, the recent Super Formula champion will be partnered with Isack Hadjar at Racing Bulls, thus allowing the team to FaenzaAs with the other teams involved, the goal is to fulfill its quota of driver slots for its rookies. As a reminder, since Isack Hadjar was himself a rookie at the start of the 2025 season, the Frenchman did not need to be replaced during the year to allow his team to reach this quota.